Apparatus for separating a mixture into its components



1966 P. M. VAN DER MEER 3,268,085

APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING A MIXTURE INTO ITS COMPONENTS Filed April 8,1963 3 Sheets-Sheet l 2 Shee s Sheet 2 P. M. VAN DER MEER US FQRSEPARATING A MIXTURE INTO ITS COMPONENTS Aug. 23, 1966 A RA Filed April8.

United States Patent 3,268,085 APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING A MIXTURE INTOITS COMPONENTS Pieter Marinus van der Meer, Gemaalweg 6, Lemmer,Netherlands Filed Apr. 8, 1963, Ser. No. 271,059 Claims priority,application Netherlands, Apr. 11, 1962, 277,087 2 Claims. (CL 210-511)The present invention relates to an apparatus for separating into itscomponents a mixture of a first liquid and a heavier other liquid and/ora heavier solid, which comprises a generally closed vessel, the wall ofwhich is provided with a passage, a nozzle from which the mixture canspout under pressure being arranged to face at least a portion of saidpassage, said passage being provided with a collar tapering towards thecentre of the passage and inclified towards the interior of the vessel.

Such an apparatus has already been proposed as in US. Patent 3,106,529,and I have now found that the construction according to this priorproposal can be improved upon by taking some measures which resultespecially in an increase of the separating efiiciency.

To this effect the apparatus of the type referred to is so constructed,according to the invention, that the passage in the wall is partlyclosed by the nozzle, the extreme edge of which reaches at leastsubstantially up to the plane which touches the inner edge of thecollar, said edge being formed as a sharp edge, the area of theremaining annular part of the passage being equal to the cross-sectionalarea of the nozzle bore.

The apparatus according to the invention may further be so constructedthat the width of the annular part of the passage is small with respectto the circumference.

The apparatus according to the invention may also be so constructed thatthe wall thickness of the nozzle is large with respect to the radius ofthe nozzle bore.

According to the invention, the apparatus may further be so constructedthat the edge of the nozzle is rounded off so that the end of the nozzlebore flares outwardly in the direction of spouting.

Furthermore, the apparatus according to the invention may be soconstructed that the collar bounds the passage by a cylindrical planeextending from the sharp inner edge a certain distance in axialdirection.

In illustration of the invention and purely by way of example, anembodiment of the apparatus according to the invention will be describedwith reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a vertical section of the apparatus;

FIG. 2 illustrates, on an enlarged scale, the essential part of theapparatus.

A vessel 1 is closed at the top with a cover 2. At the bottom the vessel1 is closed with a cover 3, while there is also provided a dischargeconduit 4 at that place, which can be shut off by a valve 5. The matterseparated from the liquid to be processed can be discharged by means ofthe conduit 4. The cover 2 is provided with a passage 6, in which isfitted a downwardly extending tube '7. A collar member 8 is furtherfitted in this passage 6 from above. This collar member 8 includes acircumferential collar 9 which tapers towards the centre and terminatesin a cylindrical end face 9' having a cutting edge 10. The collar 9 isdownwardly inclined towards the cutting edge '10. In the opening definedby the cutting edge 10 is located the end 11 of a nozzle 12. Theexternal diameter of this end :11 is slightly smaller than the internaldiameter of the cutting edge 10, so that a narrow annular slot remainsbetween the two members just referred to.

The nozzle 12 has a longitudinal bore, the bottom part "ice of which isindicated at 13. The cross-sectional area of the bore 13 is equal to thearea of the annular slot between the parts 10 and 11. As best seen inFIG. 2, the lower end of the bore 13 is flared outwardly. Between thecollar 9 and the nozzle 12 is a circumferential free space 14. Thenozzle 12 is mounted in a carrying member 115. On the cover 2 and overthe carrying member 15 is placed a hood 16 provided with a liquiddischarge tube -17 and a vent 18. A liquid supply tube 19 terminates inthe top of the carrying member 15. A first pressure gauge 20 indicatesthe pressure in the supply conduit 19. A second pressure gauge 21indicates the pressure in the vessel 1. Extending through cover 2 isfurther a discharge conduit having a valve 23.

As to the operation of the apparatus, the following is observed.

Through the supply conduit a liquid under pressure is supplied to thenozzle =12 by means of a high pressure pump (not shown). This liquidmay, for example, consist of contaminated oil. The pressure of thesupplied liquid is indicated by the pressure gauge 20 after opening avalve 24.

Let it be assumed that the vessel 1 is already filled with previouslysupplied oil, the valve 5 and the valve 23, naturally, being closed. Itis also assumed that the oil not only fills the vessel 1 but standsagainstthe underside of the collar 9. A jet of oil spouting down throughthe bore 13 of the nozzle 12 will therefore strike the oil alreadypresent in the vessel 1. In this striking process the downc-oming jet ofliquid will be widened in radial direction and flare outwardly. Theoccurence of this phenonmenon is promoted by the channel 14 being itselfalso diverging downwardly, so that the jet of oil has the space tobehave as just described. Since the liquid already present is virtuallynon-compressible, the supplied liquid will have to remove itself again.This is possible and takes place through the narrow slot between thecutting edge 10 and the end 11 of the nozzle. It will be evident thatthe liquid supplied, which first moves vertically downwardly and thenspouts away diagonally or even vertically upwards, will be subjected toa very strong centrifugal force, which is directed downwardly. For, overa very small distance, the downwardlymoving liquid practically has toreverse its direction. Heavier contaminations are thereby to a verygreat extent separated by being flung away. Also the cutting edge 10performs a function in the separation of contaminations. As it is, thecontaminations are mainly found near the axis of the jet of liquidsupplied.

Consequently, when the supplied jet is diverged and deflected theimpurities are at the outside of the bend of the curling liquid. Theliquid in which the impurities are contained is, as it were, cut oif andforced to stay in the vessel 1. Consequently, it is only the liquidwhich was at the outside of the supplied jet and contained the leastcontaminations, which spouts upwards through the annular slot betweenthe parts 10 and 11.

It is essential for the subject construction that the diameter of thebore 13 should be small with respect to the diameter of the said annularslot, while at the same time the cross-sectional area of the bore 13should be equal to the area of the annular slot. It is thereby achievedthat the width of the annular slot, i.e. measured in radial direction,can be very small. This implies that only an extremely thin peel istaken from the jet of liquid, as a result of which the purity of thereflected liquid is considerably increased. The reflected liquid isdischarged through ports 25 and subsequently flows off through the tube17. Any air can escape through the venting pipe 18. When the valve 23 isopened to some extent, not all of the liquid supplied will be reflectedthrough the slot 14, but a small proportion will flow otf through theconduit 22. This may be effected to cause a slight downward current inthe tube 7, so that the muchcontaminated liquid does not remain in theupper regions of the vessel 1, but will soon sink down as a result ofthe downward flow.

For determining the extent to which to open the valve 23, use can bemade of the reading of the pressure gauge 21, which is provided with avalve 26, the position of which can be controlled by the eifectivepassage of the valve 23. As the collar 9 terminates in a cylindricalsurface 9', which has some axial extent, it is possible for the cuttingedge 10 or the bottom portion of the collar 9 which defines the cuttingedge to be ground down, should this be desired. This configuration ofthe collar .is

especially possible by virtue of the annular slot according underpressure into said vessel, said nozzle having an axial bore and beingarranged in facing relation with at least a portion of said opening,said vessel including a collar at said opening which tapers in narrowingfashion into the interior of the vessel, said collar including an inneredge defining an opening therein, said nozzle extending within saidcollar, said nozzle having an extreme edge which reaches at leastsubstantially to the plane of the inner edge of the collar, said nozzleedge and said collar edge being spaced radially from one another to formtherebetween an annular passage, said edge of the collar being formed asa sharp edge, the area of the annular passage being equal to thecross-sectional area of the nozzle bore.

2. An apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the edge of the nozzle isrounded off so that the end of the nozzle bore flares outwardly in thedirection of discharge.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 485,915 11/1892Duckham 55--17 3,106,529 10/1963 Van der Meer 2lO-5l1

1. APPARATUS FOR SEPARATING INTO ITS COMPONENTS A MIXTURE OF A FIRSTLIQUID AND A HEAVIER SUBSTANCE, SAID APPARATUS COMPRISING A GENERALLYCLOSED VESSEL PROVIDED WITH AN OPENING, A NOZZLE FOR DISCHARGING THEMIXTURE UNDER PRESSURE INTO SAID VESSEL, SAID NOZZLE HAVING AN AXIALBORE AND BEING ARRANGED IN FACING RELATION WITH AT LEAST A PORTION OFSAID OPENING, SAID VESSEL INCLUDING A COLLAR AT SAID OPENING WHICHTAPERS IN NARROWING FASHION INTO THE INTERIOR OF THE VESSEL, SAID COLLARINCLUDING AN INNER EDGE DEFINING AN OPENING THEREIN, SAID NOZZLEEXTENDING WITHIN SAID COLLAR, SAID NOZZLE HAVING AN EXTREME EDGE WHICHREACHES AT LEAST SAUBSTANTIALLY TO THE PLANE OF THE INNER EDGE OF THECOLLAR, SAID NOZZLE EDGE AND SAID COLLAR EDGE BEING SPACED RADIALLY FROMONE ANOTHER TO FORM THEREBETWEEN AN ANNULAR PASSAGE, SAID EDGE OF THECOLLAR BEING FORMED AS A SHARP EDGE, THE AREA OF THE ANNULAR PASSAGEBEING EQUAL TO THE CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA OF THE NOZZLE BORE.